


my lucifer is lonely

by ElasticElla



Category: The Magicians (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, F/F, Femslash February, Mild Gore, Season/Series 01
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-02
Updated: 2020-02-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 05:41:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,475
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22518679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: “Regrettably you’ve failed the written exam,” the proctor says, and indignation fills her, remembering how ridiculous the test was.
Relationships: Marina Andrieski/Julia Wicker
Comments: 2
Kudos: 46
Collections: Ladies Bingo 2019





	my lucifer is lonely

**Author's Note:**

> title from billie eilish's all the good girls go to hell

“Regrettably you’ve failed the written exam,” the proctor says, and indignation fills her, remembering how ridiculous the test was. 

“The questions- they kept changing! Please, let me do it again.” 

“We’ll provide an excuse for the time you missed-” 

“I can’t just go to Yale knowing magic is _real_. That Ailsie is real.” The wren in question flaps her wings gently, butting her head against Julia’s neck in support. 

“Don’t worry, after this you won’t remember a thing about this place or daemons.” 

He gets up to lock the door, and Ailsie hops down to her wrist. Quickly, while the proctor isn’t looking, she carves open her arm and shoves her sleeve down to hide it. She barely feels the pain with how on edge she is, must look spooked.

“This is a routine spell, your daemon won’t be injured at all as she is housed inside of you.” 

It feels like a sunny day, a saltwater breeze, and a warm hug all at once, and Julia can’t--

.

Julia wakes up in her bed, head fuzzy and mind blanking on when she even got home. Or how, and she hasn’t had that problem since freshman year. Rubbing her temples, there’s a pain in her arm, and she pushes the sleeve up to reveal a wound barely scabbed over. Without thought, she slips a nail under the scab, tearing away the hardened yellowed area. Blood wells up, but she keeps picking at it moving down her arm, must remove the entirety of it. 

It’s a long process, a long lesion, and by the time she finishes blood is splattered all over her shirt and sheets, caked under her nails. Crossing her legs, she extends her arms out, wrists resting on her knees. The fingertips of one hand soaked in crimson, blood still bubbling up on the other arm. 

A weight is lifted from her chest, cathartic, and the impossible happens before her eyes- a bird flying out of the wound. Memories hit her then: seeing her soul for the first time, Ailsie’s pretty song and name, the test that made no sense, and then-

Ailsie flies right in front of her face, making Julia go cross-eyed as her beak gets closer and closer to the tip of Julia’s nose. 

“What are you doing?” she asks, a giggle coming from somewhere. 

“You did well, getting me free. We can’t let them know.” 

She swallows, and Ailsie flies around the room. “Maybe they’d change their mind about me, about us.” 

Ailsie darts right back to her, voice firm, “No. It’s one thing to follow you unseen, unheard. But to be trapped inside, I can’t, please Jules, don’t make me go back there.” 

“Shh, shh I’m sorry. That won’t happen okay? We’ll figure it out for ourselves.” 

.

Julia has never been so mad at the internet. There’s plenty of hits for magic- too many really- but none of them work. The closest she gets is a lightning spell, and that only allows a few sparks that might’ve been her imagination. 

The more time passes without any of the found spells working, the more crazy she feels. If it wasn’t for Ailsie she wouldn’t even believe it was real. Life doesn’t feel real anymore. She defers Yale for a year, as if her mind will change with time. She breaks up with James when he won’t stop asking questions, and Q won’t answer any of her calls. 

It’s fine. She can do this alone. 

“Not alone,” Ailsie reminds her, snuggling into her neck. 

“Us against the world,” Julia amends, gently patting her wing with a finger. 

There isn’t any progress, but that’s okay. This is magic they’re dealing with, Julia can be patient. If patience counts for tearing through every book in the library that hints at magic, at going thirty pages deep into google dives. At making small alters for deities she’s never heard of, for the ever-changing trickster woman, the embodiment of magic. None of it works. 

Her luck changes one day when she’s heading to the grocery store. She’s walking by a cafe, and sees the most gorgeous ocelot lounging beside a woman. And as no one else seems to notice the large cat, her heart skips a beat and the cat meets her eyes, Ailsie’s wings fluttering from her shoulder perch against her neck – this is a daemon. 

“It’s rude to stare.” 

Julia jumps, eyes yanking up to the woman, stammering out an apology. She looks unreal compared to her mundane surroundings, dressed in all black with deep purple lipstick and sharp features, outlandishly gorgeous. 

She cocks her head to the side and gestures to an empty chair across from her. “Join me.” 

Julia does without a second thought, Ailsie pecking her neck. 

“You don’t look like a Brakebills student.” 

Julia flushes, common sense finally kicking in, “Are you? Who are you?”

She laughs prettily, “Marina pleasure to meet you. They kicked me out.” 

The tension in her shoulders eases, and Ailsie hops down to the table, curious. “Julia. They didn’t want me either.” 

Marina’s eyes seem to glow as she looks at Ailsie, lips curling up. “And what are you doing now?” 

Julia lets out a tired half-laugh, feels like she’s relaxing for the first time since she walked out of that elevator and into Brakebills. “Trying to find spells that work. You know anything about that?” 

Marina grins, “I do.” She stands up, placing a ten under her empty mug. 

“Just like that?” Julia says, disbelieving. Nothing in life is ever so easy, and her grandmother’s words echo in the back of her mind, about the devil approaching with a kind face. (Marina does not have a kind face by any estimation, but she is beautiful.)

Marina extends a hand, and Ailsie jumps on it, the oddest sensation rolling through her. Her stomach swoops, like a roller coaster drop, and then Ailsie’s flying, her cheeks warm. 

“You got your daemon free on your own. You’re powerful Julia, and I want to find out how much we can do together.” 

.

The next few weeks pass by in a blur, but this time, it’s _fantastic_. Marina is a surprisingly good teacher, their magics weaving together as they cast together. Julia meets the other hedges- Pete, Ralphie, Eugino- but they don’t interact much. Ralphie is working on some huge project, Eugino keeps to themselves, and Pete is an asshole that Julia stays away from. 

Marina teaches her how to grow plants, ignite fire, make lightning in a bottle. Julia soaks it all up and asks for more. The rare times she’s home, she plays with the knowledge she’s gained, tweaking the spells this way and that. She can turn flames different colors now, grow different flowers, can heat her water perfectly for tea. 

Marina says she’s a prodigy like her, and pride bursts in her chest. (It can’t completely erase Brakebills turning her away, but she has Ailsie, she has _magic_. 

Marina invites herself over one afternoon, smirking at her windowsill full of plants. Not a one is in season, but they’re all in bloom, petals of purple and red and pink brightening up her apartment. 

“Getting experimental there, good.” 

Cupcake trots over to her, winding in and out of her legs, and Julia instinctively reaches down to pet the cat before freezing. “Um can I?” she asks, and Marina’s giving her daemon the oddest look. 

“She’ll let you know if not,” Marina says, and Cupcake winds tighter around her legs. She takes that as a yes, she’s never heard Cupcake talk, and isn’t about to ask why. (From what she’s learned about daemons it can’t be anything good or harmless.) 

Julia slowly sinks into a crouch, holding out her right hand. Cupcake walks into it, butting her head against her palm, and moving forward so Julia pets her back. She’s deceptively soft for how sleek and short her fur is, muscles bunching as she strokes her side. Cupcake flips onto her back, and even though every alarm bell is ringing, Julia strokes her stomach as the cat purrs loudly. 

“She’s really-” Julia starts, words dying on her lips as she meets Marina’s gaze. Marina’s moved closer, stealthy somehow even in stilettos, eyes shimmering with want. 

Cupcake flips around suddenly and dashes off to the couch, and Julia stands up, Marina stepping into her space. She’s vaguely aware of Ailsie being near Cupcake, heat on her neck, but focusing on anything beyond Marina feels transient. 

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you pulled that stunt on purpose,” Marina drawls, warm breath fanning over her. Her lips are bright red today, and Julia shouldn’t be staring, yanking her gaze up. 

“I don’t-” Julia starts, and Marina leans in, kissing her soundly. 

(‘You’ll learn’, Marina says when they finally break for air, and Julia has always loved learning.)


End file.
